Zazen meditation

So, this is my first post here, I am very new, I just joined a few days ago. I just wanted to share that I have been doing the Shikantaza Zazen and I am amazed at how calm it makes me!! I have been meditating for 1 year now, but never any specific kind. It is so nice to have this zazen meditation to follow as a guide!! I've also been conscious to try and practice zazen all throughout the day. When I get stressed or irritated with my kids, I think of zazen and I respond with a kind word instead.

I have been looking forward to my meditation time each day ever since joining TreeLeaf and practicing zazen. :)

Thank you for sharing this Emmy!

Good luck with continuing your practice.

Gassho,

James

Welcome Emmy! So glad you have found us here.

Practicing off the cushion as well as on is the key point of practice for me. I'm not quite there with always having a kind word for my offspring, though!


Gassho (hands together in prayer)
Andy

Hi Emmy,

I'm very happy that you've discovered the peace of this practice. It is your home always. Some days I find it gives me the patience to handle struggles with my children, other days I find solace in knowing that it's okay to stumble as a parent as long as your children know the depth of your love...all practice.

Glad to have you here.

Gassho,
Kelly/Jinmei

Hi Emmy,

Welcome again, and thank you for the good word on Zazen.

One aspect for us all to remember is that our Zazen is so Peaceful, that it is still Peaceful even with the fact that we may not feel peaceful all the time! It is kind of weird that way. So, very very good to feel peaceful in one's Zazen, but also fine if sometimes it does not feel so on some days. Be at Peace with that too. gassho1

Gassho, Jundo

Thank you for welcoming me, everyone. To be honest, I'm not always patient with my kids, as any parent knows, that would be impossible :p But, it's hard to explain, but my whole perspective has changed since doing zazen. I have been practicing Buddhism for one year now. Nobody else in my family, or anyone that I know, for that matter is a Buddhist. So, I was basically doing a lot of research into Buddhism over the past year, meditating and stuff, yes, but I never felt like I really belonged anywhere. One day I would do vipassanah, one day metta, and those area all great, but without a teacher, without a community, it's just not the same. Now that has changed. The instructional videos for doing zazen, the people and posts on here, it's like an anchor to help guide me along the path of peace.

And Jundo, that is very true. It takes the pressure off, for me anyways, to remind myself that I don't have to be in a constant state of peace, just floating around in a peaceful state of pure bliss all the time. Life gets busy, demanding, stressful, but zazen is like an anchor to help calm the mind and return to a state of calm.

Slowly, it can begin to seep into your life with enough patience. Over time, life off the cushion can become just as clear and serene as when you are actually on the cushion.

Kind regards and welcome,
Alex

Thanks for sharing Emmy. :)

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Jundo

Hi Emmy,

Welcome again, and thank you for the good word on Zazen.

One aspect for us all to remember is that our Zazen is so Peaceful, that it is still Peaceful even with the fact that we may not feel peaceful all the time! It is kind of weird that way. So, very very good to feel peaceful in one's Zazen, but also fine if sometimes it does not feel so on some days. Be at Peace with that too. gassho1

Gassho, Jundo

---

It may be a good time to repost "RIGHT ZAZEN & WRONG ZAZEN" for newcomers ...

http://www.treeleaf.org/forums/showt...nd-Wrong-Zazen

"there is good Zazen, and bad Zazen ... but never any bad Zazen"

Gassho, J

Welcome!

You'll find Treeleaf is a very nice place to be. Lots of wife people here.

I would suggest a couple of things:

Remember that difficulties in your day al also part of zazen. Zazen doesn't stop even if you leave the cuestión.

And don't expect anything out of zazen. Just sit one day at a time.

Gassho,

Kyonin

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Kyonin

Welcome!

You'll find Treeleaf is a very nice place to be. Lots of wife people here.

I would suggest a couple of things:

Remember that difficulties in your day al also part of zazen. Zazen doesn't stop even if you leave the cuestión.

And don't expect anything out of zazen. Just sit one day at a time.

Gassho,

Kyonin

---

Thank you Kyonin, I need to keep reminding myself of these things.

Hello Emmy,

it is great to read your enthusiastic words. Just remember to give the practise a chance even though the glitter will have rubbed off one day :)

Gassho,

Hans Chudo Mongen

Welcome Emmy! Shikantaza is an amazing practice. It's opened me in ways that I couldn't have begun to imagine, and I thought I was pretty open before!

Gassho, John

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Hans

Hello Emmy,

it is great to read your enthusiastic words. Just remember to give the practise a chance even though the glitter will have rubbed off one day :)

Gassho,

Hans Chudo Mongen

---

Ha, ha, thank you, so true!! I had a frustrating day yesterday, so I woke up early, decided to meditate right aways and thought this would be a great way to start my day off. I ended up having the worst struggles with not being able to stop my mind, focused on my breath, counted my breath, it didn't matter--20 min of struggling. But, I got up, I said to myself "this is ok, this is all zazen" and I've been able to open and clear my mind from all that clutter throughout the day. And when I start to struggle again, I just start over again. So, I guess that is what zazen is all about.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Emmy

Ha, ha, thank you, so true!! I had a frustrating day yesterday, so I woke up early, decided to meditate right aways and thought this would be a great way to start my day off. I ended up having the worst struggles with not being able to stop my mind, focused on my breath, counted my breath, it didn't matter--20 min of struggling. But, I got up, I said to myself "this is ok, this is all zazen" and I've been able to open and clear my mind from all that clutter throughout the day. And when I start to struggle again, I just start over again. So, I guess that is what zazen is all about.

---

Wonderful!

Sometimes struggling ... sometimes not struggling ...

... but when learning the Great Timeless Not Struggling (all caps [monk]) with, in and through-and-through both the times of struggling and the time of not struggling ...

... Zazen.

Seen with a Buddha's Eye :buddha:, rainy days are just rainy ... whether nurturing the flowers or ruining our picnic ...

... sunny days are just sunny ... whether allowing that picnic or just giving us a sunburn! So, let rainy days just be rainy, sunny days just sunny, the times we love be the times we love, the times we do not care for or resist (like that sunburn!) just the times we do not care for and resist. Know the Great Non-Resistance (all caps) found in both resisting and not resisting, manifesting as both the beautiful and ugly weather. A Buddha's Smile of Joy and Equanimity holding both days of human smiles and days of tears.

http://livedlearning.typepad.com/rea...with_lotus.jpg

That is why even struggling with Zazen is good Zazen when we do not Struggle even while sometimes struggling. [scared]

Gassho, J

thank you Jundo. I practiced Zen Buddhism without a sangha of any kind (due to where I live) for a year before finding TreeLeaf. I have learned more in the last week than I did in that year that I was by myself. I considered TNH my teacher, but it's just not the same as having this online sangha. I am so grateful to the teachers and the help I have received here already!!